Fuel heater for internal-combustion engines



0f- 1, 1946 c. F. BRooKl-:s' 2,408,605

FUEL HEATER EOE'INTEENAL-COMBUSTIN ENGINES Filed Aug. 28,- 1944 Patented Oct. l, 1,946

`UNITED"STATES PATENT OFFICE FUEL HEATER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Charles F. Brookes, Toronto, Ontario, Canada` v Application August 28, 1944, Serial No. `551,575 Y Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in fuel heaters forinternal combustion engines as described in the present specification and shown in the accompanying drawing that forms a part of the same.

The main object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for heating the fuel to a high degree just prior to its entry into the Carburettor whereby it will vaporise readily, thus assuring thorough combustion of the fuel, with the resulting advantages such as increased mileage per unit of fuel, elimination of carbon, and more efficient engine operation.

Av further object ofthe invention is to provide a fuel heater having but a single connection with the exhaust manifold of the engine thus making it possibleto readily incorporate said heater with the manifold, even in cases where, due tothe confined grouping of engine parts about the manifold, no appreciable amount of such manifold is accessible.

Generally the objects of the invention are to provide an eicient fuel heater of simple and durable construction which can be produced at low cost. Y y Y I n The invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangements and combinations of parts described in the present specification and more particularly pointed out in the claims vfor novelty following.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

' vFigure 1 is an interior plan view of the heating chamber with the top of the. casing removed.

Figure 2 isa vertical sectional View through the structure shown in Figure 1 and the associated part of the exhaust manifold.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view'through an exhaust manifold of circular form showing a method of securing the heater to a manifold of such form. Y

Like numerals of reference 'indicate corresponding parts in the various figures.

tance and which isadapted to beinserted into the exhaust manifold 'I through a suitable open'- ing through the top' wall 2 of said'manifold, whereby the heating chamber may be supported above the exhaust manifold.

The pipe 'I throughout a considerable portion' of `its length, particularly at, and above, -the junction of said pipe with the apertured wall of thelmanifold is enlarged slightly Vand provided with"externa`l threads 8 whereby said vpipe may be threaded into the opening inthe top wall 2 and'whereby a nut 9 may be threaded downwardly thereon into engagement with a suitably apertured block I0 which is suitably secured to the said wall of the manifold, to rmly'secure the pipe to the manifold. This pipe is preferably projected into the exhaust manifold to the extent that thelower end thereof will terminate slightly short of the wall of he manifold opposite to that through which the pipe enterswhereby to leave a space between the end of the pipe and the linner wall of the manifold for the direct passage of some of thegases.

The pipe 'I is provided near its lower end in the side thereof positioned in the path of the gases; through the exhaust, with an inlet II through which'the exhaust gases can pass upwardly into the casing 3, and said pipe is also provided on its opposite side with an outlet I2 through which the gases re-enter the exhaust Y after circulation through the said casing,

vReferring to the drawing thev numeral I indicatesV the exhaust pipe ofan' engine, 'which has aflat top wall 2. f

3 isvthe casing which provides the heating chamber through which the fuel pipe 4' is passed,

said casing preferably being circular in plan, andk consisting of a bottom and a circular side wall and which is adapted to be closed at its top end by means of a cap 5.

Thebotto'm of the casing 3 is provided witha central opening 6.. around which is fitted' a pipe 1 lwhich extendsoutwardly a considerablediss The pipe 'I is divided throughout its length by a ypartition I3 which extends transversely in relation to lthe exhaust manifold and divides'the said fpipeinto an upward passage I4 through which vthe gases entering the inlet II are conducted into'the heating chamber, 'and a downward passage Ithrough which the gases from the'` said chamber flow and are permitted to reenter the exhaust through the outlet I2.

The partition I3 extends upwardly into the casing 3 and terminates just short of thev closure 5 and at least that part of said partition which is located within said casing is formed to provide a conduit I6 for the gases open at its top end,whic h latter is spaced but slightly from said closure whereby such closure will act as a baffle to disseminatethe gases throughout the heating cham-` circular shape and secured along its edge to the said partition at or near the edge of the latter opposite to that from which said extension projects.

While the partitioning member is described l hereinabove and shown in the drawing as being near the bottom of said casing and spirals around the conduit I6 in outer and inner spaced coils' and leads outwardly from the inner coil through a suitable opening in the wall of the casing substantially diametrically opposite the point of entry into the casing, and from whence it leads into the Carburettor (not shown in the drawing).

In the operation of this invention a large proportion of the heated gases from the exhaust flow directly into the inlet H in the pipe l andare forced upwardly under pressure through the inlet side of said pipe and through the conduit IS into the heating chamber where they circulate around the coiled fuel pip-e and serve to heat the fuel in said fuel pipe to 2, high temperature, and are drawn b-y vacuum down the outlet side of said pipe l and pass through the outlet I2 into the exhaust manifold.

As the inlet to the pipe 'l is located in the side of said pipe directly in the path of the gases expelled into the exhaust under pressure fromthe engine it will be seen that the gases entering the inlet will be forced upwardly into the heating. chamber under pressure. Furthermore the shapey of the heating chamber and the substantiallyconcentric positioning of the vertical conduit therein makes possible the accommodation within the chamber of the maximum amount of fuel pipe to a given area, and further provides for the maximum heat being applied to the fuel just prior to its exit from the heating chamber.

In Figure 3 the device is shown as being applied to an exhaust manifold of circular cross section, in which case an apertured adapter I9 having a semi-circular recess in one face thereof adapted to conform to the peripheral contour of the manifold, and a flat top surface 2l adapted to conform to the fiat face of the adjusting nut, is placed over the manifold with its aperture in alignment with the threaded opening in the manifold through which the pipe l enters said manifoldy so that when the pipe l is threaded intosaid opening and the nut is turned down against the adapter the device will be securely locked to the manifold. Y

While the hereinabove described fuel heater has been shown and described ras associated with the exhaust manifold of an engine it is of course to be understood that it can be incorporated with any other suitable means for supplying steam, hot water, hot air, etc. thereto.

While I have illustrated and described the present preferred forms of construction for carrying out my invention, these are capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do -not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction'set forth, but desire to availy myself of such` variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A heater for the fuel supplied to an internal combustion engine, comprising a casing closed at one end and having its other end provided with an opening concentric therewith, a pipe leading outwardly from said opening and adapted to be inserted in the exhaust manifold of said engine, said pipe having an inlet in one side thereof positioned in the path of the gases passing through said exhaust manifold and having an outlet for the gases diametrically opposed to said inlet, a partitioning member extending upwardly through said pipe into said casing and terminating slightly short of the closed end of the latter and dividing said pipe into two longitudinally extending passages whereby the hot gases entering said inlet are caused to flow upwardly into said casing through one passage and after circulating throughout the area of said casing will flow downwardly through the other of said passages to said outlet, said partitioning member throughout that portion which is located withinV said casing being formed to provide a conduit open at its top end whereby the gases are expelled at the top of said casing, and a fuel pipe passing through said casing and having that portion located within said casing coiled around said conduit whereby the fuel passing through said fuel pipe will be heated by the hot gases within said casing.

2. A heater as set forth in claim 1-, in which said conduit is formed by an extension from one edge of said partitioning member bent to semicircular shape in cross section at the side of said partitioning member at which said inlet is `located and sealed to the said partitioning member and its lower edge sealing the casing against the escape of the heated gases thereinto at the bottom of said casing.

3. A heater for fuel supplied'to an internal combustion engine, comprising aZ casing closed at one end and having an opening through the other end thereof, a pipe leading outwardly from said opening and adapted to be inserted in the exhaust manifold of the engine in the path of progress of the gases through said exhaust manifold, an apertured block secured to the wall of said manifold with its aperture aligned with the opening through which said pipe enters said manifold, a nut threading over said pipe into engagement with said block and securing said pipe to said manifold, said pipev having an inletI located within said manifold in the path of said gases and'also having an outlet in substantially diametrically opposed relation to said inlet, a partitioning member separating the inlet side' of said pipe from the discharge side throughout. the length of said pipe, said partitioning member liaving a tubular extension projecting upwardly into said casing to a point near the closed end of the latter whereby thehot gases entering said pipe through said inlet will be carried upwardly and expelled through the top end of said tubular extension, and a fuel pipe passing through said casing and having that part thereof located within said casing coiled around said tubular extension.

4. A heater as set forth in claim l, in which said fuel pipe extends in a series of turns around the inner periphery of the casing and is turned inwardly and extends around the saidA conduit in another.' series of turns and thence leads from the y casingto the Carburettor, whereby in its passage 5 through the casing the greatest heat just prior to exit from the casing.

5. In a heater for fuel supplied to an internal combustion engine, a casing closed at its top end and having an opening in its lower end, a pipe leading outwardly from said opening and adapted to be inserted in the exhaust manifold of the engine, a partitioning member extending throughout the length of said pipe and dividing said pipe into two longitudinal passages leading respectively to and from said casing, said pipe having an inlet in one side thereof opposed to the fuel is subjected to the 6V inlet end of said exhaust manifold and communicating with one of said passages, said pipe also having an outlet opposed to said inlet and communicating with the other of said passages, an open -end conduit registering with the passage leading to said casing and extending upwardly within said casing and terminating in slightly spaced relation to the closed end of the latter, and a fuel pipe leading through said casing and having that portionk thereof located within said casing coiled around said conduit.

CHARLES F. BROOKES. 

